2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500

September 2016 December 2019 UK Rockingham Rockingham_Motor_Speedway.svg Rockingham Motor Speedway Oval Course 14 September 2002 2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500 15 19 CART Rockingham Motor Speedway, Corby, Northamptonshire, England Permanent racing facility 1.479 2.380 211 312.069 502.18 Cloudy, Cool Kenny Bräck Chip Ganassi Racing 24.908 Sweden Jimmy Vasser Team Rahal 25.217 210 USA Dario Franchitti Team Green UK Cristiano da Matta Newman/Haas Racing Brazil Patrick Carpentier Forysthe Racing Canada The 2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500 was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on 14 September 2002 at the Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby, Northamptonshire, England in front of an estimated crowd of 38,000 people. It was the 15th round of the 2002 CART FedEx Championship Series, the second Rockingham 500, and the only race of the year to be held in Europe as the German 500 was cancelled as EuroSpeedway filed for insolvency. Team Green driver Dario Franchitti won the 211-lap race starting from fifth position. Cristiano da Matta finished second for Newman/Haas Racing, and Forsythe Racing's Patrick Carpentier was third. Kenny Bräck won the pole position and maintained his advantage heading into the first lap. He led for a total of 134 laps, more than any other competitor. Franchitti employed a strategy that enabled him to drive in clean air while other drivers made pit stops. Bräck reclaimed the lead for the lap-163 restart, but lost it six laps later when a crew member dropped a wheel nut, which cost him time. Franchitti took the lead and held it for the remainder of the event to achieve his third victory of the season, his first on an oval track, and the tenth of his CART career. There were five cautions and nine lead changes during the course of the race. The result put da Matta 58 points ahead of Bruno Junqueira in the Drivers' Championship. Franchitti maintained third place but was closer to Junqueira, with Carpentier and Christian Fittipaldi fourth and fifth. Toyota extended their advantage over Honda in the Manufacturers' Championship while Ford Cosworth remained in third, with four races left in the season. The race attracted 60 million worldwide television viewers. It was the final United Kingdom CART race to be held at Rockingham Motor Speedway as it moved to Brands Hatch, Kent in 2003. Background 2002 CART FedEx Championship Series#Drivers and teams left|thumb|Rockingham Motor Speedway, where the race was held. The Sure for Men Rockingham 500 was confirmed as part of CART's 2002 schedule in November 2001.2002 CART schedule http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/motor/cart/02schedule.htm USA Today 4 November 2001 2 September 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160902164656/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/motor/cart/02schedule.htm 2 September 2016 It was the 15th of 19 scheduled races by CART, and was held on 14 September at the 1.479 mi km on rectangular Rockingham Motor Speedway oval track in Corby, Northamptonshire, England over 211 laps and a distance of 312.069 mi km on.12 September 2002 Championship Auto Racing Teams Rockingham 500 https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-herald-championship-auto-racing-team/205939014/ 14 September 2026 Sun Herald E2 Newspapers.com It was the second consecutive year the race was held at Rockingham,http://autoweek.com/article/car-news/cart-heads-across-pond-tackle-oval-racing-rockingham-500 CART heads across The Pond to tackle oval racing at Rockingham 500 11 September 2002 Autoweek Crain Communications https://web.archive.org/web/20160609190812/http://autoweek.com/article/car-news/cart-heads-across-pond-tackle-oval-racing-rockingham-500 9 June 2016 9 June 2016 and the only event of 2002 to be held in Europe.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/2246610.stm Franchitti dreams of home win 9 September 2002 BBC Sport 9 June 2016 live https://web.archive.org/web/20020918063159/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/2246610.stm 18 September 2002 It was expected that the race would be attended by 52,000 people, the track's maximum capacity.September 2002 Rockingham all set to roll http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/september-2002/7/rockingham-all-set-roll Motor Sport LXXVIII 7 https://web.archive.org/web/20161209064318/http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/september-2002/7/rockingham-all-set-roll 9 December 2016 9 December 2016 The track is a four-turn 1.479 mi km on oval that has banking of up to 7.9 degrees.Rockingham http://www.racingcircuits.info/europe/united-kingdom/rockingham.html#.V8adFfkrLIU racingcircuits.info 31 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160415101419/http://racingcircuits.info/europe/united-kingdom/rockingham.html 15 April 2016 The ASCAR Racing Series held support races during the weekend.The Sure For Men Rockingham 500 http://www.cart.com/events.asp?ID=424 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20020926093059/http://www.cart.com/events.asp?ID=424 26 September 2002 30 August 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Before the race, Newman/Haas Racing driver Cristiano da Matta led the Drivers' Championship with 175 points, ahead of Bruno Junqueira in second, and Dario Franchitti in third. Patrick Carpentier was fourth on 101 points, and Christian Fittipaldi was a further three points behind in fifth. Toyota led the Manufacturers' Championship with 248 points, Honda were second on 214 points, and Ford Cosworth were in third on 178.http://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/champcar-cart-standings-after-denver/ CHAMPCAR/CART: Standings after Denver 3 September 2002 motorsport.com 30 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160830204857/http://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/champcar-cart-standings-after-denver/ 30 August 2016 Gil de Ferran was the race's defending champion from the 2001 event. Following the cancellation of the German 500 at EuroSpeedway Lausitz due to financial difficulties, it was announced that the race at Rockingham was going ahead as scheduled. David Grace, the track's chief executive, invited German CART fans to attend the Rockingham 500.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/2134660.stm Rockingham gets green light 17 July 2002 BBC Sport 30 August 2016 live https://web.archive.org/web/20031217084357/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/2134660.stm 17 December 2003 Franchitti, considered by the media to be the pre-race favourite, said a victory at Rockingham would be the highlight of his season and that he wanted to entertain the spectators. Having finished second in the 2001 race, Kenny Bräck stated his belief he could continue his good run of results in Europe and wanted competitive racing. Da Matta said his team had made a large number of adjustments to his car's setup on ovals and hoped his vehicle would be better than it was in Motegi. He spoke of his belief the race was important and wanted to finish in the first three. Carpentier said although he was disappointed with his 2001 result at the track, he was convinced he could improve his performance. thumb|Darren Manning made his CART début at the race for Team St. George One driver made his début at the race. Dale Coyne Racing was formed in what was described as an "all-England" team named Team St. George for a one-race deal with British American Racing Formula One test driver and ASCAR series competitor Darren Manning.http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=105367&FS=INDYCAR Manning named Team St. George Rockingham driver 6 September 2002 motorsport.com 5 February 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110606080347/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=105367&FS=INDYCAR 6 June 2011 He performed 200 mi km of shakedown running which included a mandatory 100 mi km on test for rookie drivers observed by former CART driver Nicolas Minassian. Manning said of the decision to drive the team's No. 10 car: "It's something special, a dream come true. To drive a Champ Car is a dream in itself, it's really got some horsepower. But the special thing here is to be a part of Team St. George." He commented he wanted to impress other teams but admitted to having a disadvantage in that he had not competed in the series beforehand.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/3034368/St-George-hoping-to-conquer-Rockingham.html St George hoping to conquer Rockingham Edworthy Sarah 13 September 2002 The Daily Telegraph 9 June 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20110201061041/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/3034368/St-George-hoping-to-conquer-Rockingham.html 1 February 2011 After heavy rain resulted in drainage problems that affected the previous year's event, workers employed by the track's owners sealed its tarmac surface and added an extra layer of 35 mm cm on above it with a sealant allowing for the drainage of standing water. Grace said they had more knowledge of how the track behaved and expected the race to run more smoothly. He noted that people expected more in its second year. Rockingham Motor Speedway's facilities underwent improvements which included the addition of access roads and signage for visiting spectators.Rockingham boss promises improvements http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/20554 Autosport Haymarket Publications 12 September 2002 8 September 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160908065409/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/20554 8 September 2016 Practice A single 135-minute practice session on Friday morning preceded Saturday's afternoon race. Alex Tagliani was fastest in the session, which took place in dry, warm weather, with a lap of 24.811 seconds; Tora Takagi, da Matta, Franchitti and Carpentier were in second through fifth. Seven yellow caution flags were shown: the first two were for track inspections, the next two were for debris located in turns three and four. The fifth caution was for Shinji Nakano who stopped at the bottom of turns three and four with smoke bellowing from his engine and dropped oil on the track that was cleaned. The sixth was caused by Michel Jourdain Jr. whose engine failed and stopped between turns three and four; his car was extricated from the circuit. The last was for Scott Dixon who slowed with a loss of engine power on the backstretch.http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4678 Sure for Men Rockingham 500: Friday Morning Press Notes 13 September 2002 Championship Auto Racing Teams https://web.archive.org/web/20020921100620/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4678 21 September 2002 9 June 2016 Qualifying left|thumb|Kenny Bräck had the seventh pole position of his career. Friday afternoon's 90-minute qualifying session permitted one car on the track in reverse order of the fastest combined practice laps. Each driver ran two laps, with the starting order determined by their fastest times. The session took place in dry and sunny weather.Sure for Men Rockingham 500: Friday Afternoon Press Notes http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4685 Championship Auto Racing Teams 13 September 2002 10 June 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20021018072258/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4685 18 October 2002 Bräck set the track speed record at Rockingham Motor Speedway to secure his first pole position of the season, the seventh of his CART career, and his second at the circuit,http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/brack-captures-pole-for-cart-race-at-rockingham-1.343767 Brack captures pole for CART race at Rockingham 13 September 2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 10 June 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160831050741/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/brack-captures-pole-for-cart-race-at-rockingham-1.343767 31 August 2016http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2002/09/13/Brack-wins-CART-pole/92201031948112/ Brack wins CART pole 13 September 2002 United Press International 10 June 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160831050916/http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2002/09/13/Brack-wins-CART-pole/92201031948112/ 31 August 2016 with a time of 24.908 seconds. He was joined on the grid's front row by Michael Andretti who was two-hundredths of a second slower. Da Matta qualified third. He removed his foot from the accelerator pedal driving through the fourth turn.http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=20&id=3329 Brack Takes Pole for Rockingham 13 September 2002 Speed 10 June 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20030105051330/http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=20&id=3329 5 January 2003 Takagi took fourth, and Franchitti started fifth after steering right to the outside on his second lap due to an oversteer that slowed him. Junqueira's car was set up with a large amount of downforce and qualified in sixth. Paul Tracy secured seventh after sliding in the third and fourth turns. Tony Kanaan went into a back-up car and qualified eighth.http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4687 Rockingham 500 Friday 'Quoteboard' 13 September 2002 Championship Auto Racing Teams https://web.archive.org/web/20021018135418/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4687 18 October 2002 10 June 2016 Forsythe Racing teammates Tagliani and Carpentier were ninth and tenth; an electrical problem overheated Carpentier's engine and he was unable to go faster when his blowoff valve opened between the first and second turns.Forsythe duo fade in qualifying http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/20581 Autosport Haymarket Publications 13 September 2002 10 June 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160610081245/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/20581 10 June 2016 Adrián Fernández was the fastest driver not to qualify in the top ten; his best lap time was more than two-tenths of a second slower than Bräck. A large amount of oversteer slowed Fittipaldi in turn four and he took 12th. Jimmy Vasser and Oriol Servià took 13th and 14th positions; Servià's car had oversteer after his first timed lap and entered the pit lane for car adjustments to make him faster on his second attempt. Nakano, 15th, had a plethora of understeer which slowed him in turn four. Dixon moved from his back-up car to his primary vehicle for qualifying and took 16th. Manning, 17th, worked on his race setup though gearbox issues before qualifying prevented his team from focusing on a qualifying tune.http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=20&id=3335 Friday Rockingham Notebook Phillips David 13 September 2002 Speed https://web.archive.org/web/20030105044215/http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=20&id=3335 5 January 2003 10 June 2016 Mario Domínguez and Jourdain completed the qualifiers; Jourdain slowed through the third and fourth turns after an oversteer though his reduced speed prevented him from spinning. Qualifying classification thumb|right|Patrick Carpentier was restricted to qualifying tenth but ran strongly in the race to finish third. + Qualifying results Pos Position No. Car number Driver Team Time Time in seconds Speed Speed in MPH Gap 1 12 Kenny Bräck SWE Chip Ganassi Racing 24.908 213.763 01 — 2 39 Michael Andretti USA Team Green 24.928 213.591 02 +0.020 3 6 Cristiano da Matta BRA Newman/Haas Racing 24.954 213.369 03 +0.046 4 5 Tora Takagi JPN Walker Racing 24.958 213.334 04 +0.050 5 27 Dario Franchitti UK Team Green 25.001 212.967 05 +0.093 6 3 Bruno Junqueira BRA Chip Ganassi Racing 25.003 212.950 06 +0.095 7 26 Paul Tracy CAN Team Green 25.034 212.687 07 +0.126 8 10 Tony Kanaan BRA Mo Nunn Racing 25.048 212.568 08 +0.140 9 33 Alex Tagliani CAN Forsythe Racing 25.158 211.638 09 +0.250 10 32 Patrick Carpentier CAN Forsythe Racing 25.182 211.437 10 +0.274 11 51 Adrián Fernández MEX Fernández Racing 25.228 211.051 11 +0.320 12 11 Christian Fittipaldi BRA Newman/Haas Racing 25.251 210.859 12 +0.343 13 8 Jimmy Vasser USA Team Rahal 25.260 210.784 13 +0.352 14 20 Oriol Servià ESP Patrick Racing 25.292 210.517 14 +0.384 15 52 Shinji Nakano JPN Fernández Racing 25.300 210.451 15 +0.392 16 44 Scott Dixon NZL Chip Ganassi Racing 25.362 209.936 16 +0.454 17 19 Darren Manning UK Team St. George 25.441 209.284 17 +0.533 18 55 Mario Domínguez MEX Herdez Competition 25.592 208.049 18 +0.684 19 9 Michel Jourdain Jr. MEX Team Rahal 25.616 207.854 19 +0.708Source: Warm-up The drivers took to the track at 09:30 British Summer Time (UTC+01:00) for a 30-minute warm-up session in cloudy weather.http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4707 Sure for Men Rockingham 500: Saturday Morning Press Notes 14 September 2002 Championship Auto Racing Teams https://web.archive.org/web/20021018073433/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4707 18 October 2002 10 June 2016 Andretti continued his strong form by recording the session's fastest lap of 25.205 seconds. Takagi continued to drive quickly and was second-fastest ahead of Carpentier. After the session ended, Franchitti said he felt the race's first laps would be treacherous as the ASCAR support race laid rubber that made the track slippery. He stated his belief that most of the overtaking would occur in the pit lane.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/20591 Warm-up: Andretti throws down gauntlet 14 September 2002 Autosport Haymarket Publications https://web.archive.org/web/20160610131855/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/20591 10 June 2016 10 June 2016 Race left|thumb|The start of the race. The weather at the start was cloudy with an air temperature between 16 and 18 C F and a track temperature from 18 and 20 C F.http://www.bridgestonetire.com/news/index.asp?id=r_20914b Franchitti Races to First Oval Victory in Front of Home Folk 14 September 2002 Bridgestone Corporation https://web.archive.org/web/20020916232442/http://www.bridgestonetire.com/news/index.asp?id=r_20914b 16 September 2002 10 June 2016http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4711 Sure for Men Rockingham 500: Saturday Afternoon Press Notes 14 September 2002 Championship Auto Racing Teams https://web.archive.org/web/20021018064129/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4711 18 October 2002 10 June 2016 An estimated 30,000 people attended the event.http://napavalleyregister.com/sports/franchitti-blazes-to-rockingham-title/article_9ac98d0c-47e8-5126-8739-e03c6d986680.html Franchitti blazes to Rockingham 500 title Wade Stephen 15 September 2002 Napa Valley Register Associated Press 30 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160831051054/http://napavalleyregister.com/sports/franchitti-blazes-to-rockingham-title/article_9ac98d0c-47e8-5126-8739-e03c6d986680.html 31 August 2016 CART set the mandatory pit stop window to a maximum of 47 laps, requiring every driver to make at least four pit stops. Grace commanded the drivers to start their engines.http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A184677522/GPS?sid=wikipedia Rockingham revels in a home win for Super Dario 19 September 2002 Stamford Mercury & Citizen subscription 28 September 2016 Infotrac Newsstand 9 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211109215259/https://galeapps.gale.com/apps/auth?userGroupName=&sid=wikipedia&origURL=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.gale.com%2Fps%2Fi.do%3Fp%3DGPS%26u%3D%26id%3DGALE%7CA184677522%26v%3D2.1%26it%3Dr%26sid%3Dwikipedia&prodId=GPS live The race began at 1:36 p.m. local time. Bräck maintained the lead into the first turn. Tagliani drove alongside his teammate Carpentier and overtook him for ninth place. Serviá moved from 14th to tenth by the end of the first lap, but fell to 11th when another car passed him. He returned to tenth soon after.http://www.patrickracing.com/News_Full.asp?Id=224 Oriol Servia Scores Highest Finish With Visteon/Patrick Racing at Rockingham 500 Earns Second Best CART Career Showing 15 September 2002 Patrick Racing https://web.archive.org/web/20021002050540/http://www.patrickracing.com/News_Full.asp?Id=224 2 October 2002 31 August 2016 Junqueira was passed by Tagliani for seventh on lap three. After starting from 12th, Fittipaldi dropped to the rear of the field and was slower than the leading drivers. Tracy slowed without warning on lap 13 in the second turn with a power steering issue, and the first caution of the race was displayed two laps later when he stopped under the white line on the back straight with a gearbox problem requiring course officials to remove his car from the track. His engine's telemetry stopped working indicating a crank sensor failure, possibly caused by his gearbox problem.http://www.brownandwilliamson.com/APPS/NewsArchives/Index.cfm?ID=759 Franchitti Captures First Oval Track Victory at Rockingham 14 September 2002 Brown & Williamson https://web.archive.org/web/20011205101809/http://www.brownandwilliamson.com/APPS/NewsArchives/Index.cfm?ID=759 5 December 2001 31 August 2016 thumb|Christian Fittipaldi retired on lap 44 due to engine problems. Some drivers elected to make pit stops under caution. Fittipaldi had his engine control unit and spark box changed on lap 17 after he reported a problem with his car.http://www.newman-haas.com/2002/press/09.14.2002.html Havoline Driver da Matta Finished 2nd in the Sure for Men 500 in England and Stretched his Point Lead From 52 to 58; Lilly Driver Fittipaldi Retired in 17th Place After Mechanical Failure 14 September 2002 Newman/Haas Racing https://web.archive.org/web/20021011103326/http://www.newman-haas.com/2002/press/09.14.2002.html 11 October 2002 10 June 2016 Bräck remained the leader at the lap-21 restart and pulled away from the rest of the field. Andretti began to reduce the gap between Bräck and himself between laps 31 and 33. Tagliani reduced his pace between the second and third turns on lap 42, and was ordered by his engineer to enter the pit lane.http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4719 Team Player's Race Report 14 September 2002 Championship Auto Racing Teams https://web.archive.org/web/20021018070356/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4719 18 October 2002 30 August 2016 His crew removed his car's left sidepod and retired on the next lap with a battery problem. A second caution was necessitated on the 46th lap when debris was located in turn two. The leaders made their pit stops because of the mandatory pit stop window. Fittipaldi's car problem re-emerged on the 44th lap despite having his vehicle's coils and springs changed; he drove to the pit lane to retire because his team's mechanics could not rectify the issue. Franchitti stalled his car because of a clutch issue. Bräck maintained the lead at the lap-52 restart, followed by Takagi. Nine laps later, Takagi attempted to overtake Bräck on the outside for the lead but was unsuccessful due to the presence of slower cars. left|thumb|Shinji Nakano crashed after completing 61 laps. Nakano lost grip in the front of his vehicle and went straight into the turn four wall on the same lap. He heavily damaged his car's right-hand side prompting a third caution. Nakano slid through the infield and stopped unhurt on the frontstretch. Bräck led the field back up to speed at the lap-70 restart, with Takagi in second. Green-flag pit stops began on lap 94, with Bräck stopping on the same lap and Franchitti became the leader.http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4717 Fernandez Racing Race Report 14 September 2002 Championship Auto Racing Teams https://web.archive.org/web/20021018072616/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4717 18 October 2002 30 August 2016 It was part of Franchitti's strategy, devised by his team manager Kyle Moyer, to drive in clean air.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/20599 Rockingham 500: Dream win for Dario 14 September 2002 Autosport Haymarket Publications 30 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160831051600/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/20599 31 August 2016 Andretti was required to serve a stop-and-go penalty, which he took on the 103rd lap, after he was observed speeding in the pit lane. Franchitti made his pit stop four laps later and Manning took the lead. Manning made his pit stop on lap 114 and Bräck reclaimed the lead. After starting from 16th, Dixon was running in sixth by the 126th lap. He served two stop-and-go penalties because he was twice observed exceeding the pit lane speed limit, while Domínguez was similarly penalised. thumb|Dario Franchitti clinched his third victory of the season, and his first on an oval track. The third round of green-flag pit stops commenced fifteen laps later when Bräck became the first driver to stop. Franchitti inherited the lead until he made his pit stop on lap 143, handing it to Manning. This meant Manning became the first driver to lead on his début CART race twice. The fourth caution was necessitated on the 155th lap when Manning's right-hand rear wing endplate detached and landed on the track between the first and second turns.http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4724 Rockingham Saturday Notebook Oreovicz John 14 September 2002 Championship Auto Racing Teams https://web.archive.org/web/20021018071732/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4724 18 October 2002 31 August 2016 Manning made a pit stop but his crew elected not to repair his rear wing. It assisted in making his car develop less understeer and slightly improved its balance. Racing resumed on lap 163 with Bräck leading a single-file restart. The left side of Kanaan's car collided heavily with the wall on the backstraight six laps later, triggering the fifth (and final) caution. All drivers including Bräck made pit stops under caution. A crew member on Bräck's team dropped a left-rear wheel nut dropping him to ninth. Fernández was observed speeding and was required to move to the rear of the field. Da Matta's team were slow to fit his right-rear tyre preventing him from taking the first position and he emerged in second. Franchitti gained the lead and held it at the lap-180 restart. Junqueira attempted to pass Servià on the inside for fourth but was unsuccessful. Carpentier attempted to pressure da Matta towards the end but found it difficult to overtake and he did not want to be aggressive by going off the racing line. Vasser set the race's fastest lap during the 210th (and penultimate) lap, competing a circuit of 25.217 seconds.http://www.cart.com/Results/BestLap.asp?ID=719 Best Lap Championship Auto Racing Teams https://web.archive.org/web/20020921174144/http://www.cart.com/Results/BestLap.asp?ID=719 21 September 2002 14 October 2016 Franchitti maintained the lead for the remainder of the race and crossed the start-finish line after 211 laps to take his third victory of the season, his first win on an oval track in CART, and the tenth of his career. Da Matta was second, ahead of Carpentier in third, Servià was fourth and Junqueira fifth. Takagi, Vasser, Bräck, Manning, and Andretti rounded out the top ten finishers. Jourdain, Dixon, and Domínguez were the final classified finishers.http://racing-reference.info/race/2002_Sure_for_Men_Rockingham_500K/R 2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500K Racing-Reference USA Today Sports Media Group 30 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20220619033434/http://www.racing-reference.info/race/2002-15/R 19 June 2022 live dmy There were nine lead changes in the race; four drivers reached the front of the field. Bräck's total of 134 laps led was the highest of any competitor. Franchitti led three times, for a total of 58 laps. Post-race left|thumb|Franchitti celebrating winning the event. The top three drivers appeared on the podium to collect their trophies and spoke to the media at a press conference. Franchitti was happy with the victory, saying that he did not believe that it would be different to win at the track but that it was "very, very special". He said that after his first pit stop he did not think that he would be able to win the race.https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/franchitti-revels-in-home-victory-to-keep-alive-title-dreams-177054.html Franchitti revels in home victory to keep alive title dreams Moffitt Alastair 15 September 2002 The Independent 30 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160831051715/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/franchitti-revels-in-home-victory-to-keep-alive-title-dreams-177054.html 31 August 2016 Da Matta stated that he was worried about his advantage in the points standings and felt he had the car to win the event. He added that he could not relax because other drivers still had a mathematical chance of clinching the championship, though he was pleased with the result. Third-place finisher Carpentier said he was happy with his position and that it was a good day for his team. He revealed that changes made to his aerodynamic setup worked on the rolling restarts although it slowed him on the backstraight.http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4716 CART Post Race Press Conference Transcript 14 September 2002 Championship Auto Racing Teams https://web.archive.org/web/20021018070208/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4716 18 October 2002 30 August 2016 Franchitti's race engineer Allen McDonald praised his driver, saying his first victory on an oval track was one that he would remember and that it was an "unbelievable day". Manning said while his ninth-place result in his début race was one his team felt was a "fantastic result", he spoke of his disappointment that he was unable to get practice runs before qualifying as he felt that he could have started in a higher position. Bräck stated that he lost the chance of victory when a crew member dropped a wheel nut on his final pit stop, saying: "There is something hanging over us. I do my part, they do their part. When everyone is having a good day you win. If not, you lose." Fernández was angry with the pit lane speeding penalty, saying he felt he could have achieved a better finishing position and that the rule on pit lane speeding could "ruin your day". After the race, he spent several hours discussing the penalty with race officials. John Lopes, the CART Vice President of Racing Operations, later stated that the series would investigate the rules regarding pit lane speeding penalties but affirmed that no action could be taken until after the season's end.http://www.crash.net/indycar/news/16435/1/fernandez-cools-off-over-pitlane-row.html Fernandez cools off over pitlane row 25 September 2002 crash.net 30 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160831051942/http://www.crash.net/indycar/news/16435/1/fernandez-cools-off-over-pitlane-row.html 31 August 2016 Rick Broadbent, writing in The Times, said that due to his victory, Franchitti should have become "a household name" and felt that his future career prospects would be unhindered.http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A91636568/GPS?sid=wikipedia Franchitti pulls CART to edge of public eye; Motor racing Broadbent Rick 16 September 2002 The Times subscription 28 September 2016 Infotrac Newsstand 9 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211109215258/https://galeapps.gale.com/apps/auth?userGroupName=&sid=wikipedia&origURL=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.gale.com%2Fps%2Fi.do%3Fp%3DGPS%26u%3D%26id%3DGALE%7CA91636568%26v%3D2.1%26it%3Dr%26sid%3Dwikipedia&prodId=GPS live Mike Nicks in The Observer called Franchitti's win "the greatest of his career", while Jim McGill of Scotland on Sunday noted that while Formula One was promoted as the fastest and most glamorous motorsport, he wrote of his feeling that Franchitti's victory allowed CART to showcase its more "dramatic" action.https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-12937316.html https://web.archive.org/web/20161008195907/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-12937316.html usurped 8 October 2016 Victorious Franchitti roars back into title contention at Rockhampton McGill Jim 15 September 2002 Scotland on Sunday subscription 28 September 2016 Edinburgh, Scotland HighBeam Research Grace remarked on the possible implications of Franchitti's success on the promotion of CART in the United Kingdom, "If that doesn't sell this sport to Britain then I don't know what will." The Stamford Mercury & Citizen said the sound of the cars at the circuit was "one of those sporting moments which stand up the hairs on the back of your head." The result increased da Matta's advantage over Junqueira in the Drivers' Championship by five points. Franchitti remained in third place but decreased his deficit to sit seven points behind Junqueira. Carpentier kept fourth place with 115 points, and Fittipaldi remained in fifth on 98 points.http://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/champcar-cart-standings-after-rockingham-corby/ CHAMPCAR/CART: Standings after Rockingham (Corby) 15 September 2002 motorsport.com 30 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160831052055/http://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/champcar-cart-standings-after-rockingham-corby/ 31 August 2016 Toyota extended their lead over Honda in the Manufacturers' Championship to be 32 points ahead. Ford Cosworth maintained third position on 192 points, with four races left in the season. Highlights of the event were shown the day after in the United Kingdom on the BBC Two sports programme Sunday Grandstand with commentary provided by former racing drivers Johnny Herbert and Charlie Cox.https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/09_september/06/herbert.shtml Herbert rocks up to Rockingham for the BBC 6 September 2002 BBC Press Office 30 August 2016 live https://web.archive.org/web/20030423201101/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/09_september/06/herbert.shtml 23 April 2003 A total of 60 million television viewers in 190 countries watched the race.https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2002/sep/15/motorracing.theobserver Franchitti to fore Nicks Mike 15 September 2002 The Observer 30 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20140909202141/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2002/sep/15/motorracing.theobserver 9 September 2014 The event was the last to be held at the Rockingham Motor Speedway as it was announced in December 2002 that the United Kingdom race would be moved to Brands Hatch, Kent.https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2002&dat=20030108&id=xQJWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-0ANAAAAIBAJ&pg=5977,1949174&hl=en CART returns to Europe 10 January 2003 The Beaver County Times Calkins Media B9 28 January 2016 9 November 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211109215247/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2002&dat=20030108&id=xQJWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-0ANAAAAIBAJ&pg=5977%2C1949174&hl=en live Race classification thumb|Cristiano da Matta started from third and finished in second place to increase his Drivers' Championship advantage. + Race results Pos Position No. Car number Driver Team Laps Laps completed Time/Retired Grid Final grid position Points 1 27 Dario Franchitti UK Team Green 211 01 1:58:44.754 5 20 2 6 Cristiano da Matta BRA Newman/Haas Racing 211 02 +0.986 3 16 3 32 Patrick Carpentier CAN Forsythe Racing 211 03 +2.785 10 14 4 20 Oriol Servià ESP Patrick Racing 211 04 +3.757 14 12 5 4 Bruno Junqueira BRA Chip Ganassi Racing 211 05 +4.281 6 10 6 5 Tora Takagi JPN Walker Racing 211 06 +4.778 4 8 7 8 Jimmy Vasser USA Team Rahal 211 07 +5.132 13 6 8 12 Kenny Bräck SWE Chip Ganassi Racing 211 08 +13.912 1 7 9 19 Darren Manning UK Team St. George 211 09 +15.863 17 4 10 39 Michael Andretti USA Team Green 209 10 + 2 Laps 2 3 11 9 Michel Jourdain Jr. MEX Team Rahal 209 11 + 2 Laps 19 2 12 44 Scott Dixon NZL Chip Ganassi Racing 209 12 + 2 Laps 16 1 13 55 Mario Domínguez MEX Herdez Competition 209 13 + 2 Laps 18 0 14 51 Adrián Fernández MEX Fernández Racing 186 14 Retired 11 0 15 10 Tony Kanaan BRA Mo Nunn Racing 167 15 Contact 8 0 16 52 Shinji Nakano JPN Fernández Racing 61 16 Contact 15 0 17 11 Christian Fittipaldi BRA Newman/Haas Racing 44 17 Engine 12 0 18 33 Alex Tagliani CAN Forsythe Racing 42 18 Battery lead 9 0 19 26 Paul Tracy CAN Team Green 12 19 Gearbox 7 0Sources:Results: The Sure for Men Rockingham 500 http://www.cart.com/Results/SessionResults.asp?ID=719 Championship Auto Racing Teams 15 October 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20020921180538/http://www.cart.com/Results/SessionResults.asp?ID=719 21 September 2002 dead Standings after the race + Drivers' Championship standings Rank +/– Driver Points 1 10pxCristiano da Matta BRA 191 2 10px Bruno Junqueira BRA 133 (−58) 3 10px Dario Franchitti GBR 126 (−65) 4 10px Patrick Carpentier CAN 115 (−76) 5 10px Christian Fittipaldi BRA 98 (−93)Source: + Constructors' standings Rank +/– Constructor Points 1 10px Lola UK 313 2 10px Reynard UK 181 (−132)Source: + Manufacturers' standings Rank +/– Manufacturer Points 1 10px Toyota JPN 266 2 10px Honda JPN 234 (−32) 3 10pxFord Cosworth GBR 192 (−74)Source: Note: Only the top five positions are included for the drivers' standings. References 30em 2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500 2002 2002 Shell Grand Prix of Denver 2002 Grand Prix Americas 2001 Rockingham 500 Final Event Sports England United Kingdom Rockingham Sure for Men